Financial aid funds in excess of your tuition fee or other university charges will be mailed to you in the form of a check unless you enroll in Eagle Express Direct Deposit. The Direct Deposit process will allow funds to be directly deposited to your bank or credit union account. You may sign up for Direct Deposit online via GET. Select the Eagle Express link above or refer to the instructions below.

Enter your bank routing number – this is the 9 digit number that identifies your bank and is at the bottom left corner of your check (see illustration below).

Enter your account number (see illustration below).

Confirm by re-entering your account number.

Agree to the Terms and Conditions by checking the box.

Click on “Submit”.

The next screen will request that you confirm the account information you provided, if correct click “OK”.

You will get another Direct Deposit confirmation page – this screen confirms your enrollment in Direct Deposit. Click “OK”.

You are done! Your financial aid disbursement or refund will be automatically credited to the account you entered.

If you meet all eligibility requirements and you don't receive your check by your anticipated disbursement date, contact the Cashier's/Disbursement Office in the Administration, Room 131, or call (323) 343-3630.

Please be sure that your correct address is on file with the university. You can confirm or update your address on GET at https://get.calstatela.edu.

Reasons Why You Might Not Receive a Check, or Receive a Smaller Check than Anticipated.

You have not submitted a required financial aid document.

There is an academic progress hold on your file.

Your financial aid awards are estimated. Estimated awards are not valid for disbursement.

Your financial aid funds were used to pay your tuition fees.

You are expecting a student loan, and you did not complete the Entrance Loan Counseling Session or Master romissory Note.

You are enrolled less than full-time. (12 units undergraduate; 12 weighted units graduate. Most financial aid programs require a prorated reduction in your awards if you are not full-time. Examples of the required proration for undergraduate students are as follows:

12 units = 100%

9-11 units = 75%

6-8 units = 50%

1-5 units = 25%

Direct Loan Promissory Note:
Before issuing Federal Direct Loan funds, all new borrowers must have a signed Master Promissory Note (MPN) on file in the Center for Student Financial Aid Office. Visit http://studentloans.gov to complete The MPN online.

All financial aid awards (except for estimated awards and Federal Work-Study funds) may be used to defer payment of your tuition fees. Meaning, if you have financial aid funds posted on GET for a given semester, you may proceed to register for classes for that term. Please also be aware of the following:

If the total amount of your aid exceeds the cost of tuition fees and/or other university charges, you will receive a refund of the difference in the form of check or through Direct Deposit if you have enrolled in Eagle Express Direct Deposit. All check and Direct Deposit transactions are processed by the Disbursement Office, ADM 131.

If your financial aid awards are less than the amount of tuition fees and/or other university charges, you must pay the difference by the payment deadline date established by the Cashier's Office.

Funds are disbursed at the beginning of each term and the disbursement cycle will continue weekly thereafter. For a full listing of the disbursement dates, please select Disbursement Schedule .

Using Financial Aid for Housing:

Financial aid recipients who live in Student Housing can have their housing fees deducted from their financial aid on a term basis, but only after tuition fees are paid. Students sign a housing agreement that states their responsibility for any housing obligations not covered by financial aid.